Caleb Williams just delivered his best game as Bears’ starter in Week 3 win over Dallas but what comes next will ultimately matter most
Now he’s got to show it consistently.
The NFL is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately business, and after a 0-2 start to the season, many eyes were watching Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams going into Week 3.
From the inside, the Bears’ QB showed progress from Week 1 to Week 2, but that didn’t stop naysayers from running their mouths during the week. And the criticism wasn’t going to quiet down until Williams sent a statement with his play on the field.
Against the Dallas Cowboys, Williams did just that. But let’s be honest, Sunday’s performance won’t stop all the talk after one good game from the young quarterback.
Caleb Williams now needs to show this kind of play consistently
It’s easy to get excited about how Williams played on Sunday and the improvements that were made on the offensive side of the ball against the Cowboys.
Williams finished the game with 298 passing yards, four touchdowns, a 142.6 passer rating, and a 67.8 completion percentage. On top of that, Sunday was the first game of Williams’ career in which he was not sacked. Williams needed to show up, and he did.
Williams was hitting passes all over the field to eight different receivers and did a strong job working through his progressions. He was making the scripted throws as needed, while adding in some of his trademark backyard throws. Seeing him pair the two aspects was an encouraging sign.
But what stood for Williams went beyond that stat sheet in the eyes of his head coach.
“He’s getting a lot more comfortable calling these plays in the huddle. We’re able to get out of the huddle a little bit faster, and we were able to get on the line and operate cleaner as well,” Ben Johnson said after the win. “Was proud of him for that.”
Running a clean operation is what led to this offensive explosion. In the first two weeks, negative plays and penalties set the unit back, forcing Williams to operate in difficult situations, especially when the team was playing from behind. Sunday showed what this unit can look like when the offense isn’t shooting themselves in the foot and allows Williams to play free.
His command and comfort level in Johnson’s offense were evident in Week 3, which is another encouraging sign for the weeks ahead, as the most important thing after a game like this is how you follow up on it and continue making strides forward.
“The consistency and things like that, it becomes a thing when you have a day like today and then you come back and do it again, and again, and again,” Williams explained. “It’s something that we have to work on and keep striving for every day in practice and obviously when we get out here in a game.”
While Sunday’s game was everything the Bears had hoped to see from Williams on the field, it was ultimately just one game. Now it’s on Williams to show that level of play can be sustained on a weekly basis, and his level of growth in this offense keeps improving.
Chicago Bears News
Ben Johnson’s message landed with the Bears and his young offensive core looked especially promising in the Week 3 win over Dallas
That’s the game we’ve expected to see all along.
